


Child of Nature

by randomwriter57



Series: Reigisa Week 2018 [3]
Category: Free!
Genre: Falling In Love, M/M, Magical Realism, Nature, Reigisa Week, Seasons, i don't want to tag too much or else i might end up spoiling something by mistake, not that there's much plot tbh, purposefully vague time skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 09:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13384965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomwriter57/pseuds/randomwriter57
Summary: “Tell me,” Nagisa says, leaning forward over his crossed legs. “What’s your favourite season?”





	Child of Nature

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!  
> I love reading magical realism stories - something about them always feels so beautiful, especially in the way that the author depicts it. When I got the inspiration for this fic, I wanted to experiment, and to depict the passing seasons in a way which I have never tried to before. Hence, I decided to incorporate magical realism into this. I hope it comes across well. Enjoy!
> 
> Written for [Reigisa Week 2018](http://reigisaweek.tumblr.com), Day Three: Seasons.

All is silent in the garden of the new Ryugazaki residence, save for the distant beat of music and the inaudible whispers of the trees. The only human inhabitant stands not far from these trees, which stretch infinitely beyond his vision. He does not pay them attention, though; Rei’s vision points towards the large house about at the other end of the garden.

The house is lit up for the occasion, every window bright, providing an insight into the activities within. People dance past the glass, or stand by it with a drink, chattering away. Their warm atmosphere feels a million miles from the cold winter air surrounding Rei, but he does not care. In fact, he much prefers the quiet company of the trees. At least he doesn’t have to make small talk with them.

Not for the first time, he wishes he had brought a book with him - perhaps the physics book he’s been reading from recently. Reading through such theories not only would prepare him for the upcoming end-of-year exams at his new middle school, but it would also be a damn sight more interesting than being left to his own thoughts.

If only books could speak. Then he wouldn’t need human companions at all.

He lets out a long breath, which rises in a curl of white into the air, joining the stars above. Soon, those stars will be covered by bursts of light and clouds of smoke, left behind from the explosions. Now he thinks about it, it shouldn’t be long until the countdown. Perhaps he should go back inside to join his parents.

Or he could stay outside, alone.

What a way to start a new year.

A voice calls out to him then, one far too warm to belong to the winter breeze, filled with the colours of fairy lights and mulled wine and holly leaves.

“What’s wrong?” the stranger asks.

He turns towards the forest and finds a blond boy standing not too far from him, within the line of trees. The boy looks about his age, perhaps a little younger, with chubby cheeks and a curious spark in his eyes. Judging by his clothes - a dress shirt and trousers, no jacket - he should also be a guest at the party. How he got into the forest without Rei noticing is a mystery.

When he doesn’t answer, the boy’s head tilts slightly. “Aren’t you cold out here?”

Subconsciously, Rei’s arms come to rest over his chest, his hands gripping his forearms. “Who are you?”

The boy smiles but does not answer. “You should go inside, or you’ll miss the celebrations.”

“Aren’t you going inside, then?” Rei says in return. “You’ll miss them too.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the boy laughs, his voice a bell peal through the sky. The atmosphere around them warms a little, and the trees sing along with him.

“I guess that’s true,” the boy says, burgundy eyes bright with mirth. “What’s your name?”

“Ryugazaki Rei,” says the blue-haired boy, letting his hands come to rest at his sides again.

The boy hums and takes a single step forward, so they’re only a few feet apart. Then he diverts his gaze to the sky, and Rei’s follows it.

Slowly, a single snowflake descends, swaying in the sky until it lands in a kiss on Rei’s lips.

“Happy New Year, Rei-chan.”

Pulling away from him, the boy disappears into the forest. At the same time, a firework lights up the night, the colour red spreading across the navy sky.

Rei blinks a few times, then makes to follow the boy, for what reason he isn’t entirely sure, all he knows is that something is pulling him into the forest, towards that stranger-

Then the door of the house opens behind him.

“Rei, come inside! You just missed the countdown!”

By the time he looks back to the forest, the boy is long gone, and only smoky residue and silence remains.

 

* * *

 

By the time a few years pass, he has forgotten most everything of that New Year’s night. All that remains clear is the odd warmth of that snowflake and the vibrance of that boy’s eyes against the winter scenery.

 

* * *

 

In spring, the forest is anything but silent. With birds flying, insects chirping and the trees continuing their ever-present whispering, there is no way the forest could be anything but full of life.

That, however, is natural, when it comes to springtime. Each year when he comes here, he feels the vibrance and energy which fills the forest, making it feel fresh with each breath. Even when the pressure of each passing school year comes upon him, the forest calms his nerves and reminds him to breathe, for a little while.

One day, as he passes through the forest, he feels a certain familiar atmosphere which he cannot place, one which leads him into the deepest part of the forest. The clearing is large and surrounded by trees and foliage, leaving a clear divide between the darker pathways and the sun-filled centre. Within the clearing, bathed in morning gold, is a boy with hair of wheat-gold and eyes of sunburst pink. Save for the loss of baby fat and the change of clothes to a more spring-appropriate outfit of a light, white sweatshirt and green shorts, he looks almost exactly as Rei remembers him.

He meets Rei’s eyes. The smile which follows lights up the entire clearing, filling it with even more energy.

“Hi, Rei-chan,” he says. His voice is deeper now, but still holds that childlike cadence from so long ago. “It’s been a while.”

Rei only now returns to his senses, relaxing the hand which somehow wound its way onto the chest of his shirt. So many questions fill his mind, ones he needs answered in order to understand this situation, to allow himself peace of mind.

And yet, all he can bring himself to say is a shaky, “Hello.”

“Come over here,” the boy says, waving him over into the clearing.

Without thinking, Rei does so, moving slowly into the grassy area and settling at the boy’s side, a metre or two away to be polite.

The boy shifts closer, his bright eyes unwavering. “I’m surprised it took you so long to find this place. Who lives in a house for four years before exploring their back garden?”

Rei’s hands clench on his knees, hot against the fabric of his trousers. “I think the real question is what are you doing here? Do you live nearby?”

In that same infuriating fashion as he did so long ago, the boy hums. His left hand brushes the grass at his side, weaving through each blade. “Maybe I was waiting for you.”

The boy lifts his left hand and holds it towards Rei. On his palm sits a single daisy, with pure white petals which should be distinguishable in the grassy clearing, though Rei cannot see any others nearby. When Rei does not take the flower, the boy presses his hand closer to him until Rei is forced to pick it up, his fingers brushing against the soft pad of his hand as he does.

“How long have you been here?”

Once more, the boy does not answer. He only smiles, though his eyes hold a hint of sadness.

Rei sighs deeply. At this rate, he’ll get no answers. “Do you have a name, at least?”

This time, the boy perks up. “Oh, that’s right, I never introduced myself! You can call me Nagisa.”

The lack of a surname surprises him, though he supposes he shouldn’t be so shocked, considering this boy has been calling him by his forename from the beginning. Somehow he can already tell that formality isn’t something this boy is worried about.

“Alright, Nagisa-kun.” Rei twirls the daisy between his fingers, which tingle lightly. “Why won’t you answer my questions?”

Nagisa hums again, his brows furrowing in thought. He puts his hands on his knees and taps them lightly, then shrugs. “I guess it’s a secret!”

“What’s a secret?”

“Everything!”

As much as he’s interested in this boy, Rei can’t deny that the lack of clarity about his name and origins is a tad infuriating. Still, there’s not much he can do if Nagisa simply refuses to answer. For once, he decides to abstain the matter, at least for a while.

“Tell me,” Nagisa says, leaning forward over his crossed legs. “What’s your favourite season?”

With four years of living in a small town, one might think Rei has a good enough experience of the seasons to pick a favourite, but now he thinks about it, choosing is more difficult than he’d realised. It’s not so much because he likes them all equally, but more that he doesn’t think enough about the seasons themselves to warrant having a favourite.

“I don’t know,” he says honestly. “I’ve never thought about it.”

Nagisa’s face falls for a moment before he manages to capture it in a beam once more. “Well I’ll help you choose! The seasons are great, Rei-chan, you’ll see!”

As if to prove it, he stands and moves a few feet away, waving a hand through the air. Following his movement, the golden flecks of dust in the air swirl around them, creating the illusion of a whirlwind of colour. Once Nagisa stops spinning, the flecks slow in their motions until they drift aimlessly once more, illuminated only by the golden sun. Still, even without the motion, Rei finds himself dizzied by the beauty of this moment. Seeing Nagisa standing before him, aglow with the fresh spring morning, it feels almost like magic.

 

* * *

 

With each passing season, he continues to meet Nagisa in the clearing. It becomes their rendezvous point, where Nagisa presents him each time with a new thing to love about each season. Sometimes it is as small as a quip about the flowers blooming or the wildlife around them. At other times, he blows Rei away with displays akin to his one from springtime, each more unbelievable than the last.

With each meeting, Rei falls for him more and more.

Until finally, summer arrives.

 

* * *

 

 

On the hottest day of the year, the sun beats heavy on their faces as they lie down in the clearing. The grass is cool against their skin, soaking slightly through their shorts and t-shirts, just enough to relieve the heat a little. Nagisa, for his part, is in his element, soaking up the warmth as if he’s been deprived of heat for years.

“Hey, Rei-chan,” he says as the sun reaches its peak for the day. There are likely only precious hours left before they ought to separate, not that either wishes to do so. “Look.”

Rei tilts his head to watch Nagisa, trying to focus on the hand he lifts into the air rather than the slope of his nose and how his lips purse in concentration.

Nagisa holds his hand over a single wispy cloud, wriggling his fingers a couple of times before slowly moving his hand over the blue. The wisp of cloud follows his fingertips, moving as if attached to invisible strings, until he manages to wipe it out of sight completely.

“A cloudless day,” Rei whispers in awe, his gaze falling from Nagisa’s fingertips to the accomplished grin on his face. “That’s amazing, Nagisa-kun.”

The blond looks over to him, eyes bright in the summer sun. “It’s just a small trick, but thanks!”

Shaking his head, Rei sits up, leaning on one hand to face Nagisa. “No, I mean it. You’re able to do so many incredible things. The fact that you would show them to me is an honour, really.”

Nagisa takes Rei’s free hand in his own, letting his thumbs gently stroke his knuckles. “If I’m gonna show anyone, of course I’m gonna show you, Rei-chan. I can’t think of anyone better to show this stuff to. Everyone else just calls these things dumb or lame, or party tricks at best. But you always have something nice to say about them.”

For a moment, Rei’s mouth falls open at this new information. He doesn’t dare pry further, though - he knows how averse Nagisa is to giving such personal information. Instead he lets a smile cross his lips and his hand relaxes in Nagisa’s. “You work so hard to learn how to do these things, just to show me. If that doesn’t make you amazing, then those people don’t know what they’re saying.”

During their conversation, he notices that he’s been leaning closer with each word. He’s almost leaning over Nagisa at this point, with his knees pressed against the smaller boy’s side. He can see the light freckles on the bridge of Nagisa’s nose, the way his throat constricts for a moment as Rei speaks.

“You think so?” Nagisa breathes, eyes wide and more vibrant than any summer blossom.

“I know so,” Rei murmurs, feeling himself leaning in. “You’re amazing, Nagisa-kun.”

Their lips meet for the first time in a burst of heat, soft and pliant and moving in harmony together, or as much as they can with their inexperience. Nagisa lifts a hand away from the one he holds to cup Rei’s face, bringing him closer to him. He tastes of strawberry ice cream and the sea.

When Rei pulls away for breath, he lingers close by, enraptured by the pink of Nagisa’s lips and the warmth of his breath, his golden locks haloed by vibrant flowers of every colour, some of which Rei has never even seen before in his encyclopedias. He doesn’t get the time to question them, though, not when Nagisa pulls him back in and he is once more lost in summer sweetness.

Above them, the trees bow their branches, sheltering the clearing to give them privacy in this moment.

 

* * *

 

Their romance blossoms in summer and blooms in the seasons which follow, its warmth still burning even as the temperature drops and rises once more. Summer feels eternal, the infectious effervescence a source of energy which makes each moment feel alive. For once, Rei lets himself forget the questions which still plague him about who exactly Nagisa is, and he focuses on the moments before him and the sensations which he has the pleasure of experiencing.

 

* * *

 

Of course, each season must come to a close, and the heat of their relationship eventually burns down to a comforting simmer. The leaves begin to darken, vibrant shades of orange overtaking the slowly darkening skies, leaving the grass beneath their feet to die along with them. The animals who live near the clearing begin their preparations for the colder months, gathering food and warmth and shelter.

Similarly, Rei and Nagisa switch to heavier clothing and take refuge in each other’s warmth, knowing that the cold will only grow as the months wear on. Rei also begins visiting the clearing less and less, though not out of a lack of longing. He and Nagisa know well that he has exam preparation to be worrying about, especially considering that he’ll soon be applying for universities.

Still, he makes the most of each visit, as short as they are. He spends what little time he has listening to Nagisa with earnest ears, telling him about his everyday life and hoping for even a glimpse more information from the boy. At the same time, Nagisa continues to show Rei even more beautiful sights. In autumn, he has the leaves dance above their heads to the soft song of the trees. Plucking one still-green leaf from the air, he breathes it into a beautiful shade of red, letting it join the fiery group around them.

Sometimes they explore. Hiking through the forest allows them to meet all new types of wildlife. At one point, they even rescue a hedgehog from falling into a small river past the boundary of the forest which Rei has previously traversed.

Between these hikes, they simply relax at each other’s side, indulging in this time spent together. Rei has become particularly fond of Nagisa’s smile, especially when he feels it against his own. When they sit together in silence, too, the atmosphere is calm and warm, like the comfort of a duvet first thing on a cold morning, when you don’t want to roll out of bed to face the day.

Rei would happily face any day, knowing he’ll see Nagisa in the course of it, though.

But distance makes him consider more options than before. Now that he’s faced with a choice of future, he wonders how things will impact his relationship with Nagisa. He can’t allow himself to compromise his morals by attending a local, but sub-par college, but the idea of being miles away from this boy he’s come to love is more painful even than the sting of nettles or the crunch of pine cones.

As such, he tries for a compromise.

“Nagisa-kun,” he asks.

Against his shoulder, he feels Nagisa’s head move so their eyes meet. The tree against their backs makes a surprisingly comfortable back-rest as they look on to the clearing, which lacks its usual glow thanks to the cloudy weather.

“Yeah, Rei-chan?” Nagisa’s voice is a little muffled by Rei’s shoulder, but the response is clear enough.

“You live nearby, right?”

For a moment, Nagisa hesitates before moving his head in a nod. “Why?”

It takes Rei a moment to voice the question. “Would you ever want to leave?”

Nagisa moves away from Rei’s shoulder, sitting upright to face him directly. His furrowed eyebrows lie low over eyes filled with concern and, possibly, fear. “Why are you asking this, Rei-chan?”

“I was simply curious,” Rei says, though the lie sounds fake even to him. When Nagisa gives him a doubtful expression, he sighs and amends his response. “I may have to move away from here to a city soon, for university.”

“Oh.” Nagisa’s face falls, his shoulders dropping along with it. “You’re leaving?”

“Not forever! But possibly for a while. I need to continue my studies-”

“I understand.” Nagisa turns his face away, hiding his expression behind his messy fringe. “It’s fine, Rei-chan. Your future is important.”

Rei hesitates in reaching his hand over to Nagisa’s, letting it hover just over the smaller hand which fiddles with its owner’s shoelaces. “The thing is, you’re important to me too. I don’t want to leave you behind.”

When Nagisa looks up, it is with a painfully false smile. “Don’t worry about me, Rei-chan! I’ll still be here. I can wait for you.”

“But I don’t want you to have to wait,” Rei says, finally letting his hand touch Nagisa’s. The boy he loves flinches under his touch, and he immediately pulls away.

“I’m sorry, Rei-chan.” Nagisa’s expression becomes more pained, though his smile remains. “I can’t leave this forest. But I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes. No matter how many seasons pass, I’ll still be here. So come back, okay?”

Rei’s hand clenches into a ball. Still, he nods, pressing his lips together. “I promise I’ll come back.”

Nagisa relaxes, letting out a humourless laugh before leaning back into Rei, his hair tickling against Rei’s collarbone. As Rei rests his own head on top of Nagisa’s, he finds himself smiling, seeing a few fallen leaves returning to the tree above them.

He’ll miss this warmth, but at least he’ll always have it to return to.

 

* * *

 

 

Autumn’s cold separation drags on for far longer than Rei anticipates. With each semester, he finds himself too buried in work to consider returning to the forest in that tiny town, to the boy who lives within it. As much as he enjoys his studies, the seasons are all too grey and bleak without that sunshine smile.

 

* * *

 

All is silent in the garden of the Ryugazaki residence, save for the soft pad of footsteps as he crosses the grass, moving towards the line of trees at the base of the garden. Behind him, music beats on, lights flashing. Rei ignores them.

Instead, he moves through the forest in a route he knows well but has not traversed in far too long. The trees welcome him with quiet greetings, and he finds no fallen branches in his way as he heads towards the centre of the forest - only a thin layer of snow.

The cold air bites at his bare face, making his glasses steam up whenever he breathes too close to the scarf around his neck. In his pockets, his hands tremble. He feels too warm.

Once he reaches that familiar clearing, his heart sinks, seeing no one awaiting him in the moonlit meadow. The snow sparkles in the light, pure and untouched, with no sign of anyone having been here at all. The stuttered breath of disappointment he releases curls into the air in a cloud of white.

Once more he is outside, alone.

What a way to start a new year.

Suddenly, a voice calls out to him, too warm for winter, bright like fairy lights with the smooth heat of mulled wine.

“Rei-chan!”

Turning around, he finds the boy he loves standing a few feet away, dressed in winter layers, flushed pink from the cold. His eyes glisten, rivalling the brightness of his smile.

“You came back,” Nagisa says.

“Of course I did,” Rei says, feeling himself melt at the sight of Nagisa in front of him, after so long. “I promised, didn’t I?”

Nagisa takes a deep breath in, then leaps forward into Rei’s arms. The two spin out into the clearing, somehow managing not to fall in the snow, if only because Rei tries his best to keep them upright. He finds himself smiling fondly down at Nagisa, wrapping his arms around him and remembering how being home feels.

Above them, the sky opens to a flurry of snowflakes, drifting down toward them, swirling around their embrace. Each one feels oddly warm, like a kiss.

When Nagisa looks up at him with eyes full of love, Rei cannot help but return the favour.

The sound of fireworks does not deter them from their reunion, burning in the night sky above a kiss which lingers far longer. By the time they eventually part, all that is left in the sky is smoky residue.

But Nagisa is still here, beaming at him.

“Happy New Year, Rei-chan.”

Rei rests his forehead against Nagisa’s and smiles with all his heart.

“Happy New Year, Nagisa-kun.”

This year too, he hopes they can see the seasons together, connected through every one.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me at [randomactuallywrites-57](http://randomactuallywrites-57.tumblr.com) on tumblr | [@randomwriter57](http://twitter.com/randomwriter57) on twitter!


End file.
